Batbros Forever

A Gala to Remember

One's first appearance at a high society party was a big deal among Gotham socialites. It was an announcement from an heir or heiress' parent that their legacy was secure. It was a chance for future suiters to begin planing their courtship. But most of all, it was a day all eyes in Gotham would be on a new face.

None of the Wayne boys had been particularly interested in their introduction to society. They had dragged their feet through the nights. Cassandra, however, was not her brothers and Father.

She had seen pictures of the luxurious galas in the papers and on TV and had heard stories from passing conversations at school. Dick had told her it was kind of like the story of Cinderella. Cass was enamored by the idea and was almost overly excited about her own night of glamour.

"I don't get why the party has to be here. You didn't host any of our introductions to society." Tim pointed out as he let Dick fix the collar of his tux.

"It's tradition for heiresses to make their debuts in their own home." Bruce explained simply. "In other words, Bruce wants to control the night as much as possible." Dick stage whispered, to which Bruce rolled his eyes.

Dick wasn't wrong. The boys had more or less shown up out of nowhere in the Gotham social scene. But Cass had wanted her party and in her own way begged Bruce until he'd really had no other choice. At least by hosting the gala at Wayne Manor, he would have a say in when it was all over.

Jason gave a catcalling whistle as Cassandra appeared at the top of the stairs. The elegant light purple dress that Bruce had had made especially for her swished around her ankles as she came down the stairs. Her silvery kitten heels tapped daintily with each step. Stephanie and Barbara had even come over earlier to help her do her hair and make-up just for the occasion. She was radiant. The very model of what an emerging heiress should be.

"You look beautiful." Bruce praised, kissing the top of her head as she reached them. Cassandra smiled did a twirl, so the skirt flared around her ankles. "It is like princess." She beemed.

"Those poor boys." Jason smirked as he extended his arm to escort his sister to the ballroom. Cassandra took it, and the Wayne family made their entrance to the party.

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The boys had given Cassandra the rundown of how these galas worked. Granted, since this was merely a family-friendly social gathering and not a fund raiser, there was considerably less shmoozing, but of course, small talk had to be made to keep up appearances and relations.

Cass stifled a yawn as an old woman rambled on about her own introduction to society. The woman was talking to Jason more than Cass, but still, it seemed rude to wander off into the crowd. Plus, Cass wasn't quite sure how to go about this kind of socializing.

While there were guests around her age, they all seemed to be clustered off into their own groups. Many of the girls had given her snooty looks when she walked past while the boys seemed to pay her no mind whatsoever. Was this what all these parties were like? It was no wonder her brothers complained.

As the old woman bid them good night, Cass was about to go find Bruce and tell him the party could be over when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find a dark-haired boy giving her a somewhat crooked smile.

"Hey. Hi. It's Cassandra right?" He asked quickly, the words tumbling from his mouth. He seemed nervous. No, uncomfortable. Maybe both. "I heard you may not speak English or was it that you just don't talk at all, but I thought I'd give this a shot and-"

"And what?" Jason asked in a protectively interrogating tone. Cass expected the boy to run, but instead, the tension seemed to leave his body. "Hey, Jason. It's me, Flynn Edmonds. We hung out at a few of these parties before they shipped me off to boarding school, remember?"