30 Days of Demonfire

Plan

My breath fogs in front of me and the wind shreds the vapor apart.

"Here, kitty, kitty," I call, shaking the bag of treats in my hand.

The dorm building in front of me is all black and hollowed out. Classes have been canceled until Monday, and I'm sure that when they start a lot of people are going to be missing. Nobody died in the fire, but having most of your possessions burned can be a punch to the finances.

Apparently, Firefly was hired to set up a distraction for the police, not to kill anybody. There was a robbery going on in the financial distract, and Firefly was supposed to divert police attention. That worked, but Batman and my father stopped the robbery.

"Alfred!" I coo, still shaking the bag. "C'mere, baby!" He's probably long gone. It's too cold for him to stay out here. It hasn't snowed yet but it's supposed to tonight, which is why I'm out here.
The window for my room is still open, but I don't go in. All I'll see is my clothes burnt up, the ceiling caved in, and no kitty.

It's my fault that Alfred's out here in the cold, now. I lean against the part of the wall that's still standing, getting black dust all over myself, and sink against the ground. Maybe it's not so bad. Maybe Alfred made friends with some of the other street kitties in Gotham and—

"Is this yours?"

Started, I glanced up to find Robin standing in front of me with—

"Alfred!" I gasped and launched to my feet excitedly. I scooped the cat from Robin's arms and cradled him against my chest "Thanks!"

"Is it not against the policy of Gotham University to allow pets in the dormitories?"

"Well, yeah, but what they don't know can't hurt 'em. What the heck are you doing out now?"
"The gang who attempted the robbery had a leader. We can't find him. I'm here looking for clues."

"Well, everything's burned down and I haven't seen any blue paw prints around," I told him with a shrug, and he quirked an eyebrow at me. Of course, he wouldn't have understood that joke. "Ah... Blue's Clues. It's a... sophisticated... detective show..."

He looked unimpressed.

"Yeah... Um, I'll get out of your way," I muttered, adjusting Alfred in my arms.

"Yes. I have work to do."

Ooh, so close to having a pleasant interaction with the Boy Demon. See, Damian looks down on me for not doing the vigilante thing full time. But it's not fair at all. I go to school. Damian's gonna take over Wayne Enterprises, and he's already doing a lot with finances and all that crap.

I fly back to Tim and Steph's apartment. Tim's not there, because I think he's doing some investigative work with Bruce and my dad on the robbery, but Steph's there because she works the night shift at Mercy West Hospital.

She's already in blue scrubs when I get back, and she's eating a salad at the kitchen table. She's not impressed with the cat.

"That's not Teekl, is it?" she asks, eyeing Alfred distrustfully.

"No. Teekl's orange, remember? This is Alfred. He's mine." I set him down on the ground and I fill a dish with water for him. "Sorry. I'll be out of your hair in a day or two."

Steph immediately looks guilty, and she says, "Sweetie, you know you're welcome here for as long as you need. It's not like we don't have the space."

"I know. And thanks. But if I move in with anyone, it should really be with my dad. Maybe I'll get my own apartment, see if I can swing some more modeling jobs. It's not a big deal." I pull out the hair across from her and I sat in it, sighing.

"You don't want to live on campus anymore?"

"I don't know. I mean, it makes it tricky doing the Nightstar thing."

She nods knowingly. "Tim had to be Robin while living at Brentwood when we were your age. It's tough. How about Wayne Tower?"

"No," I say immediately. My father had instilled in me a strong sense of not mooching off the Wayne fortune. Sure, Bruce paid for my uniform and my bike and that stuff, but other than that I didn't like taking money from her, aside from birthday and Christmas money.

"Okay, sorry," she says, throwing her hands up. "Um... what about Damian's building? That's close to GU."

"Damian's not living at the Manor?" I ask dully.

Steph snorts. "No, silly. He wanted to be in Gotham. And since we're here, he didn't want to move into Wayne Tower."

"Maybe. I really don't want to be, like, near Damian, though."

"I hear you," Steph says sympathetically. "Your dad would like that, though. Just give it a try."

"Yeah, I guess I will." I look down at the table, contemplating, and then I notice Steph rinsing out her bowl. "Let me get that," I offer, floating over to the sink and shooing her away. "You have to go to work, anyway."