Shiva was severe by nature, but her eyes softened when Damian came in to view. He wore the symbol on his chest, that emblazoned 'R', that branded him a disciple of the Bat. Shiva felt a pang of something at its sight- regret, she realised. The Bat made her feel guilty; she refused to let herself remember why.

Robin arrived on the rooftop before her through a gaping vortex of purple. Shiva recognised the feat immediately. It was apparent that Batman and Zatanna (a new acquaintance, but not a name Shiva was unfamiliar with) knew the mark of the demoness. Batman took Raven's appearance with no noticeable physical response. The woman herself wasn't as lucky as the others; Batman's aura betrayed what his body wouldn't. She wasn't in his good books apparently.

Raven raised her chin and looked up at the assassin, Shiva formidable as ever. She flicked her eyes to Zatanna, lowering her head a little. Raven hadn't told her that she was going out earlier. Unfolding her defensive arms, the empath was at least glad that she'd remembered to switch in to her Azarathian garb (Zatanna's guarded her fishnets with an iron fist).

"Shiva." Damian acknowledged. "What's happened?"

"Demons." Batman said. He was looking at the empath.

"Following your trail." The assassin explained. With sorrow, she added, "They traced it to the guild, it would seem. I have lost promising warriors."

Lives lost. They shouldn't have bargained with Lucifer. Or maybe they should- maybe they shouldn't have wasted time. Fulfilled their end of the deal faster. Torn those contracts and blocked those demon's from entry.

The contracts, binding Raven, binding Damian, were their way in. Trigon's forces had a right to pass through the realms, as long as those damned scrolls were intact.

And Shiva suffered for it. Raven tasted the blood in the air, remnants of gushing red now constrained beneath gauze, silenced by tight stitches. But it was still there. Red guilt.

Damian saw so much in Shiva. He wondered how she felt, standing under Gotham's cold canopy of polluted clouds. Her daughter was in this city. Wearing the symbol of the bat. She lost so many to that symbol, it would seem.

There was betrayal in the air, hot and accusatory.

"You said you were taking care of this," Zatanna said. Raven bit her cheek. "Whatever this is."

The magician folded her arms. Raven wasn't a child, but that didn't mean that she had to do everything alone.

Zatanna implored her friend, "What exactly are you doing? The two of you. Because I've heard whispers and I hope to the gods you've not gotten yourselves in to a mess that you won't be able to dig your way out of."

Beneath Zatanna's voice lay more than a caution- a threat- which made Raven's heart throb. She didn't want to made rifts with Zatanna; not with that woman that her tongue begged to call 'mum', but settled on 'Zee', 'Aunty'. The empath was bound by guilt to a woman who'd died years ago, her mother dead at the hands of her 'father'.

But Zatanna's caution was clear: I will tell Batman everything if I have too.

The man didn't know about their deal- the contracts in exchange for Lucifer's little problem dealt with. It had been Robin's choice what to conceal from the Batman. Raven glanced to her co-conspirator. Beautiful, and sad, with his head lowered in deference to the master assassin and his father. She respected his boundaries- hiding the deal from his father. That didn't mean she didn't question them.

"Shiva's guild has suffered," Batman said, looking to the woman. "You are accountable to her for that-"

Damian felt like a small child. Raven was no better.

Shiva pursed her lips and shook her head, "I trust this is a debt that will be paid for in due course."

She spoke with that careful wisdom that would have surprised a younger Damian, but was now a familiar cast over the woman. The years had shifted something within, it would seem. Or maybe he'd never been able to see the person that had stood at the other end of the sword, in the days of his assassin's training.

Damian looked at her and wondered what Cassandra was doing. Could she forgive?

"But the imperative is holding demonic forces at bay." Shiva continued. She nodded to the magician beside her, "I trust there are measures we can arrange, short term. For the mitigation of damage."

Zatanna accepted the proposal respectfully. She'd had the same idea.

With the locking of their eyes, analytical but slowly warming, the seeds were planted for a new future, on that dark Gotham night. Alliances were forged from such instances, and Shiva new better than to estrange herself from an ally of the magical persuasion.

Batman looked at the four of them, and frowned. The patterns were unmistakeable. Assassins- fighters- with bodies honed to the physical arts, who wielded weapons like bodily extensions...they were drawn to magic. Ra's Al Ghul had been the same, hadn't he? For all his talk of empiricism and disbelief. Batman wondered if it was the intoxicating tug of power- of potential. Perhaps something inherent, concentrated in those bloodlines- a primal connection to that magic. Whatever it was, he didn't have it. For all his friendship with Zatanna, the dealings he had with other magical entities, he'd never experienced that something that glittered in his son's eyes, that shifted Shiva's demeanour so entirely, at the scent of magic.

Sentimentality was the age-old bane of heroes.

Batman didn't know what he felt. Envy, maybe. He knew not to dwell on it. That would be sentimentality.

Over his son's head- goodness was Damian actually taller than him now?- a familiar sight nestled in the low grey canopy. The Batsignal.

Jim could always be depended upon to call him. Some days, Bruce just wanted to pull up two chairs, two coffees, and vent with the man. But that wasn't the sort of relationship they had. Batman had to be aloof, no matter how much strong the Commissioner's dad-friend vibes were.

Zatanna spotted it.

"The Batsignal." She looked to her friend.

Damian and Raven turned around.

"You should go." Robin said.

The assembled four waited Batman's move. The vigilante turned respectfully to Lady Shiva, then glanced at the empath. He shot out a grappling hook, disappearing in to the shadows after it.

They would manage without him.

***

After the corners of the bedcover in, Zatanna turned to the master assassin, "I hope this'll be okay for you. It's not much but-"

Shiva cleared her throat, "You've been very hospitable, thank you."

The magician thought she noticed some awkwardness in the woman. That was new. It was always a pleasant, intriguing experience finding the first snippets of humanity in a new acquaintance.

"I was fine returning to my guild-" Shiva recommenced her previous protests.

Zatanna waived them off again, "Oh nonsense- we've work to do, and more space than needed in the House of Magic anyways. It's our pleasure."

Shiva unravelled her hair. Strands had fallen loose. She commanded them back in to a neat cord and secured them. She thought the magician was too trusting, and expressed so. She might have been right, but Zatanna wasn't afraid of being hurt by keeping to her principle of good will.

"Think the best of people until they show you otherwise." Zatanna shrugged. "It's important to have trust in this business- even if the foundations for it aren't too strong." She opened a cupboard to her left with the swoosh of a finger. "Towels are in there if you need- mind, you might have to shake a cobweb or two out, they've been in here a while. And the bathroom's adjoining, through there..." she pointed.

Shiva lay her sword at the foot of the bed, asking, "How strong are the foundations of your trust in me?"

Zatanna offered a smile, "Batman trusts you. That's more than enough for me."

"You value the detective's opinion." It was both a question and an observation.

"He's an old friend." Zatanna cocked her head to the door. "Would you like to come down for some tea, coffee? I think the kids are having a chat."

"The kids?" Shiva raised an eyebrow. She knew who the magician meant, but it was a foreign term nonetheless- not something Shiva would ever say.

The assassin thought about saying no. But their meant dwelling in the room alone, bored. She had stepped in to a different way of living entirely, and it would be a waste to confine herself when she could be observing it, immersed in the bizarre informality that governed these people's lives.

"Yes, I think I will join you." Shiva finally said.

She was yet to crack a smile, but Zatanna sensed a positive shift in the woman. That would do.

A.N:

Hello my darlings!

How have you all been? Tbh, life's having some ups and downs at the moment for me, but I'm doing pretty okay.
How was this chapter? I'm really interested in exploring Shiva's character, and working on relationship dynamics between our characters (maybe bcos ✨I'm queer and love✨ the drama idk).

I'm sorry there is still a few weeks between updates. I'm working on improving that.

Also did you notice we've got a new cover? Personally I think it's cute.

Anyways, I think that's everything covered! Take care folks!

-Bats