Birds of a Feather (Oswald Cobblepot)

The New Recruit

  I stand in a corner of the parlor room as guests chatter among themselves. Thankfully, Veronica and Barbara picked out this dress for me, so I don't stick out among the rich socialites. But as I glance around, I do notice that while I don't stick out in fashion sense, I do stick out in skin color.

"Hope you're having a good time," Barbara approaches me, with a wry smile and two champagne glasses.

She hands one to me as I lean in to whisper, "So, I hear the Court is accepting you as a member."

Barbara chuckles, "Hmph, yes. Tonight will not only be Marsha's 'welcome back' party, but also my initiation ceremony. Mother and father are very proud, first time they ever said so."

I raise an eyebrow. Barbara is clearly not herself in this moment. Her voice has a softer, more sultry quality to it, and she shifts her shoulders and hips with every word. So this is the show Barbara puts on for society? I have to say, I'm impressed.

"But...I would've thought the Court might take issue with...certain past events."

Barbara chuckles again, her laugh dry to the bone. Suddenly, her voice returns to normal, "Nat, I struck a deal with Falcone. As long as Batwoman and the Trickstress stay away from Court-related mob dealings, I get to become a member of the Court of Owls. We can take them out from the inside! They were practically begging me to join them, their ranks may be stiff, but they're very enthusiastic about...keeping things in the family."

Our heads separate, and I nod. Just then, an older couple, dressed in conservative black, approach the two of us.

"Barbara, your Uncle Sionis is here. Why don't you say hello?" the woman nods.

Barbara reverts to her plastic smile, "Of course mother."

She walks off with them, and as they stroll away, the father turns his head back at me, and gives a warning scowl.

I swallow. Well, I guess that sums up Barbara's parents' opinion of me. Why can I not appeal any of my friends' parents?

Either way, Barbara's parents are also Court of Owl members, as well as Barbara now. What does a Court initiation ceremony look like? Does she have to walk over coals, jump through fiery hoops, swim through a volcano shooting bubbles?

Don Falcone lifts up a champagne glass and spoon, and taps the spoon against the glass, "Alright everyone, it's time for dinner."

The guests file into the dining room, where Falcone's servants begin bringing in trays from the kitchen. I'm about to take a seat when Liza grabs my arm and pulls me away.

"No!" she squirms in a shouted whisper, "We're part of the help, remember? We stand against the wall with the rest of the servants."

"Oh...right..." I realize, as I follow Liza to stand with the servants.

We watch them eat, and quietly chatter amongst themselves. My own stomach starts to rumble, but I keep my hands behind my back and pray that nobody hears it.

"Oh Carmine, why are you keeping that new cripple boy around? You're not seriously thinking about letting him into the family, are you?" a woman asks Don Falcone.

He leans back in his seat, "Cobblepot has a lot of potential. Will he ever become top boss, I doubt it, and that's what makes him reliable. Someone like him could never rise to the top, so he doesn't pose any threat. At least, not to me."

The other guests laugh and nod their heads, including Barbara. I observe her the most throughout the dinner party. While she makes small talk with the other guests, her smile seems so controlled. Maybe it's just what's expected of her, as a member of society. After all, the other guests are wearing similar expressions. But there's something different about Barbara's. She keeps shifting in-and-out of it, whenever she starts talking to her parents. When she looks at her parents, her smile becomes happier, more sincere. I guess if my parents were still around, I'd look at them like that too.

As the dinner winds down, Don Falcone draws everyone's attention by tapping his silver spoon on a glass, "Everyone, I hope you enjoyed tonight's dinner," he looks up at the wait staff, including Liza and myself, "you may leave."

We file out of the dining room, as the seated guests straighten themselves in their chairs. The last waiter out closes the thick wooden doors separating the dining room and the living room. Standing not too far away from the door, I wait until Don Falcone's servants have all cleared out. I get down on my knees and peer through the keyhole of the dining room door. All of the dinner guests are still seated, but now they sit in total silence.

Reaching under the table, the guests pull out white porcelain masks, which they put on. Barbara is the only one who doesn't put on a mask, as a masked Don Falcone snuffs out the candlelights surrounding the table, leaving the room dimly lit and full of shadows.

"We are here tonight, not only to welcome back a prized member, but to welcome a new one. Ms. Kean here represents a new generation for the Court. She and those like her will bring us forth into an era of growth and prosperity. But first, she must be initiated."

Barbara's mother gets up from her seat and places a leatherbound book as well as a decorated dagger in front of her. She places her hands on Barbara's shoulders, "Your father and I couldn't be more proud, Barbara dear."

Barbara bites her lip, as she sniffles, "Thank you...mother."

As her mother leaves to sit down, Barbara opens the book and flips to a certain page, "In this book, I will join in the ranks that have come before me. Family is blood, and with blood, I shall become part of a new family."

With the dagger, she slices her arm, and lets her blood drip down onto the page of the book. The other members watch in silence, their eyes hidden behind the dark slits in the mask. Don Falcone stops to stand behind Barbara, and hands her a white owl mask. Her head bowed down, she takes it from him, and puts it on, as the other members clap.

I'm grabbed by the arm and pulled away from the keyhole by Liza, "What are you doing?!"

I sigh, time to lie, "Look, you know Fish wants to know everything about Don Falcone. This is a huge weakness she could exploit."

"You do know the only reason she's not a member is because...well...you know..." Liza stutters, poking around the subject.

"Yeah, and how do you think she feels about that?" I counter, "And how do you know about this anyway?"

She glances around, "The Court has meetings here almost every week. They're quite nice really, even gave me a cute stone statue."

Liza turns around to point to a coffee table in the living room, "Like that one."

On the coffee table is a stone owl statue, with red gemstone eyes. It looks just like the one from the Power's house, where Zsasz killed that old couple. I approach the statue, getting a good look at it, before pushing one of its wings to the side.

Liza gasps, "Wha...no..."

The wing turns out to be false, easily removable from the rest of the statue. Behind the wing is a keyhole. Taking out my new lock picking kit, I jimmy the lock open and remove the second piece.

The stone owl is hollowed out, with wiring and large batteries jammed inside. Two small cameras are secured on top, serving as the owl's eyes.

"Beware the Court of Owls, that watches at all times, remember?" I remind her.