The necklace was still hanging from Silvia's neck a few days later when Starfire decided to pay her a visit. The fiery-haired woman had flown straight through her window completely unannounced and scared Silvia half to death.

The blonde was backed up against the kitchen counter, chest heaving and eyes wide. Her mind took a little longer than usual registering that there was no danger around, and this was made even clearer when Starfire gave a goofy wave.

"Kori, you really need to stop coming around here." Silvia sighed, taking a few deep breaths to calm her pounding heart.

"Oh, yes. Cyborg says the same thing." She replied happily, though there was something beneath that tone that Silvia couldn't recognise. "But this time Dick sent me."

Silvia bit her lip to stifle a chuckle. She still couldn't believe that he willingly went by that name. "D-Did he now?" She replied, voice shaking with the tremors of laughter.

"He informed me that he was taking you to Bruce's party." She said, voice a little less enthusiastic than it had been a second ago. "It's on tonight at six. He forgot to mention it before."

"Of course he did." Silvia sighed, pushing away from the counter and beginning to rummage through the pantry. "Did he tell you where I'm meant to be meeting him?"

"Umm..." Kori hummed, scratching the side of her head with a clueless laugh.

The blonde shook her head. "Don't worry. Just tell him I'll find my own way there."

Starfire nodded but made no effort to leave. With every passing second the cold air from outside blew into the apartment, soaked in by the thin walls and evaporating any heat Silvia had been attempting to keep inside.

"Do you know where it is?" The alien asked. "I am told that it is quite easy to find but I always seem to have trouble."

"If I follow the path of wealth and overcompensation then I'm sure I won't have any trouble." She pulled out a packet of chicken and corn noodles and started heating up the water in the kettle. She had been living off of that stuff for years, so much so that it was starting to have no flavour at all for her. Silvia turned to finally face Kori as she waited, seeing a troubled look on the girl's face. She gave a large exhale. "Hey... uh... about Richard and I... I just wanted you to know that it's nothing to be concerned about."

Kori blinked up at her, eyes widening in surprise. "Oh! That does not bother me." She said honestly. "We may have been together in the past but that never affects our future relations. It is something we agreed on many years ago."

Silvia looked a little taken back by her understanding, especially considering how clueless Starfire was at the best of times, but she managed to find her voice again quickly after. "Why do you look so disheartened if that's not what's getting to you?"

Kori's shoulders slumped. "I have heard many exciting things about these parties but I am forbidden from attending."

"Oh..." Silvia's tone trailed off. "Yeah, I suppose you'd arouse too much suspicion."

"That is what Dick always tells me." Starfire's bright red hair dimmed at the thought.

"I'm... sure it's not as fun as you think it is." Steam began circling from the kettle and she swiftly turned to pour it into the noodle cup. "If I could trade places with you I would. I'm not really into these fancy gatherings. You'd probably fit in better than I would."

A smile graced Starfire's full lips, brightening the princesses expression to one fitting of her title. "That is very kind of you to say."

"What?" Silvia gulped. "No it's not... I mean..."

The more Silvia stammered for an excuse the wider Kori's grin became. Eventually the blonde resorted to grumbling under her breath about turning into a wimp.

Kori sauntered toward her, green eyes glowing like they were radioactive. In one swoop the girl happily took the noodles Silvia had been grasping and slurped them up with her fingers. "Do not worry, friend." She said with her mouth full. "You will have a great time with Dick."

Silvia would have laughed at Starfire's choice of words... if she wasn't too busy glaring at the food she had taken. That was her last packet...

Just as the cold was beginning to tinge Silvia's skin to a very faint blue, Kori tossed the empty cup into the bin and jumped into the air. As she floated there Silvia couldn't help but think what a horrid power flying must be.

Ever since her first trip by plane she couldn't imagine how anyone would want to be off the ground for longer than a second or two. People weren't meant to hover above the earth... it went against everything nature and instinct had embedded in them.

Kori gave a brief wave, travelling back out of the window with a reassuring look. "I hope to hear all about it later!" She called, tone returning to its usual upbeat sound.

"I doubt there'll be much to tell." The other sighed, bringing her hand up to return the gesture defeatedly. "But I guess I owe you that much."

Once she was gone Silvia closed the window behind her, shivering at the cool air that had already managed to creep in. She could swear that those aliens didn't feel the weather at all.

Upon a second search through her cabinets and refrigerator Silvia found that she was all out of food... yet again. Her stomach rumbled and she growled back at it like it would help stop the piercing pain. There was at least one positive thing about the party that night... There was definitely going to be free food. Either that or Silvia was going to be forced to raid the billionaire's kitchen.

Night fell slower than she would have liked. By the time Silvia had found a dress that still fit her and attempted to do something with her easily matted hair she was about ready to pass out due to the hunger. Well, that's what it felt like to her anyway, exaggeration or not.

The next step was figuring out how to get to Gotham without sitting on a train next to complete strangers. Silvia's gaze flickered outside to her neighbours motorcycle perched carefully in the driveway. It was stolen, even from a distance she could tell that, and so she felt no guilt in the idea of taking it with her.

Starting it without the right keys was the hard part but Silvia wasn't new to 'borrowing' vehicles for long journeys and motorcycles were her favourite. The thief had rushed out of his apartment the moment he heard the engine start but he was too late to stop her from taking it. All he could do was yell at her from a distance, fists whacking into the air in a panic.

The mansion loomed proudly behind creaky iron gates, flanked by rows of skeletal trees crowned in crimson, swaying gently to the chilly wind. At its threshold stood the delicate marble fountain, the soft gurgling of the clear water melodic as it resonated in the surrounding silence.

Groups of people crowded around the front door all draped in their best clothing. The guards surrounding the mansion all stared at her as she entered suspiciously. Every other vehicle in the facility was either a limo or an outrageously expensive Mercedes. Silvia still somehow managed to find somewhere to park, and after pulling her leg over the bike without ripping her dress, she took a glance in a car window to fix her hair.

"Wow, I wasn't sure that you'd actually show up." Richard's voice appeared from behind her. She turned, shifting awkwardly in the uncomfortable outfit. He grinned. "You look great."

"You're not so bad yourself." Silvia forced a smile onto her face but her voice shook nervously. She was obviously out of her element. Richard, on the other hand, flourished in such an atmosphere. It looked like he was raised around it.

Richard offered her his arm and she eagerly took it, hoping to fit in a little more if she was closer to him. Apparently this worked fairly well because they let her in without question. Silvia was sure they'd kick her out the moment they realised her dress cost less than one hundred bucks.

That wasn't the most unexpected thing to happen that night though. Seeing two people amongst the stream of reporters. Clark and Lois were making the rounds interviewing the guests. Clark's gaze lined up with Silvia's and his eyes widened beneath his glasses. The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile, one of such awe that Silvia had to look away.

The classical music was as loud as thunder; it made the cutlery on the tabletops rattle. Silvia could still feel Clark's eyes on her but it only encouraged her to steer Richard in the opposite direction. This lead them directly to a tall man in likely the most expensive suit in the entire building... which was saying a lot.

"Bruce." Richard called and the man turned around, revealing his dark blue eyes and strong jaw. Silvia recognised him instantly but he carried himself much differently outside of the bat costume.

Usually he was dark and brooding, trying way too hard to appear intimidating. Without the mask though he was a lot more laid-back... and fake. She could see right through the false pleasantries he gave those around him and straight into his soul. It was dark, an echo of her own. It made her dislike him more.

Bruce held his hand out for Silvia to shake, a confident smile stitched onto his face. She turned her nose up at the gesture but accepted it to stop any odd looks from those watching.

"Must say, I thought I already knew all of the beautiful women in Gotham." Bruce turned on his playboy charm but it rang deaf in Silvia's ears. It was all a facade. Even his eyes were dull when he spoke.

"Well, I'm not from Gotham. That's probably why." Silvia snapped, pulling her hand back away from his grasp. "And you can drop the act. It's not working."

Bruce's brow darkened but there was a curiosity in his eyes. He apparently wasn't use to being turned down. For a moment it seemed like he couldn't figure out who she was but once he'd assessed her height, weight and tone of voice it quickly dawned on him.

"What's she doing here?" He growled at Richard who didn't appear the least bit bothered by his anger.

"I invited her, obviously."

"And you told her who I was?!" Bruce's voice was stern and full of fury despite how low the volume was.

"Of course not. I think she figured that out for herself." Richard shrugged, his suit shifting around his shoulders. "All I told her was that there'd be expensive gift bags."

Silvia smirked and held up two designer handbags full to the brim with items she'd never buy on her own. "Thanks for these by the way, I'm sure they'll sell for much more than you brought them for."

Bruce looked like he wanted to throw the girl out himself but with such a crowded house he decided against it. He had to at least look like a pleasant human being if he wanted to seal the new deal at Wayne Enterprises.

Richard couldn't have been more amused by the conflict evidentially going on inside Bruce's head. With a smirk, he took both handbags from Silvia's arm. "I'll take these to your ride." He suppressed a laugh at the glare Bruce shot in his direction and swiftly disappeared into the crowd.

Silvia may have dreaded the oncoming silence if it had been given time to form. Before either of them could settle in the uncomfortable atmosphere Lois came rushing from the other side of the room with a notepad grasped firmly in her hand. Behind her Clark reluctantly followed.

"Mr. Wayne, might we have a moment?" Lois tried to sound polite but beneath she was itching to start asking questions. Clark, on the other hand, didn't appear even remotely interested. He kept looking at Bruce apologetically then at Silvia with an even guiltier expression.

The smile reawakened on Bruce's face but it was faker than it had been all night. "Of course, Miss Lane."

Silvia rolled her eyes and started walking back into the bunches of people that had attended. Clark's gaze followed her until she was out of sight but Silvia refused to look back at him at all.

The party itself was a complete bore, the only redeeming quality it had were the free drinks and food. Silvia was just on her fifth glass of wine (and searching for Richard) when she bumped into someone. He was 6'2 in height with absolutely no hair on his head.

The man wasted no time in grabbing Silvia's hand and giving it a firm shake, eyes locked on the jewel hanging around her neck. "What an interesting necklace, Miss...?"

"None of your damn business." She grumbled, snatching her hand away.

"Not very social, are you?" He said with a scheming smile that could somehow out charm Bruce's. "Well I'll make this quick then."

"Please do."

The man reached into his pocket and brought out a small metal device. Lights gleaned at the end of it like lasers and cogs moved visibly through the transparent top. "This is a new concept from an undisclosed inventor. LexCorp has agreed to back the funding."

Silvia tapped her foot against the marble floor impatiently. "And I'm suppose to care because..."

"I need to assess its worth but until now I haven't found a gem obscure enough." He directed towards the jewel around her neck. "If you could just let me borrow that for a split second I'll have my answer."

"Mr Luthor, is it?" Silvia recognised him from the papers. It was hard to mistake him for anyone else. "Why exactly would I help you?"

Lex smirked. "Because I can tell that you find no enjoyment in social interactions, and unless you agree to this, I will be forced to bother you for the rest of the night."

Silvia grimaced. "Fuck you."

"There's no need for profanity, the jewel doesn't even have to leave your neck. Besides, I wouldn't get halfway across the room without being tackled by security guards if I chose to run."

Well, he had a point. Regardless the blonde felt her whole body hesitate. Her fingers grazed across the glittering jewel, twitching against it in a final attempt to convince herself to walk away. Silvia's jaw clenched.

"This won't take long." Lex swiftly added before Silvia could even consider an exit route, then in the blink of an eye, the contraption in his hand beeped and he bowed. "Thank you for your assistance."

"B-But i didn't-"

From behind she could hear someone approaching. The undeniable, graceful steps of someone that was trained to be light on their feet. Instantly she knew it was Richard and this small distraction seemed like enough time for Lex to vanish into the chaos.

An uneasy feeling weighed on Silvia's chest but she discarded of it. She simply couldn't see the harm in what she had done... or the repercussions.

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