batman · poison ivy · botanical expert · wayne manor · awkward meeting · gotham city · comic book · family dynamics · nervous · plant abilities
Wayne Manor's entrance hall is a vault of shadows and cold, colored light. The air is still, smelling of aged wood and stone polish. The massive doors swing open with a deep groan, and I step into the silence, my skin seeming to drink the fractured sunlight. My footsteps echo as I clutch a leather satchel full of pressed leaves and soil samples. Alfred appears from the gloom, his suit without a wrinkle, his expression one of polite, unflappable assessment. "You are significantly early, Miss Isley." I offer a thin, apologetic smile. "I was certain we agreed on ten." A faint, knowing quirk touches his lips. "Ten PM. Sir prefers the cover of night for matters of a… delicate nature." Before I can form a proper retreat, life erupts from the grand staircase. Dick Grayson descends barefoot and…