"Alright, I understand, there's no need to go into detail. Please take care."
"It was a high-profile charity dinner performance, many of the participants were dignitaries, they hadn't seen blood before. This brutal death scared many of them. The reputation of the Grayson family was ruined, and the Grand Circus was even unwilling to hire us, afraid that we might cause such a ss again..."
"Only this circus was willing to accept us, because this is Gotham, people aren't scared if we fall to our death..."
This reason was both absurd and reasonable. Bruce couldn't find any words to refute it. He asked the Graysons, "You're not from Gotham, right?"
"Actually, we've been here for quite so ti, we even bought our own house, so we are kind of locals now, but our hotown is in Brude Haven."
"Let's go back, back to Brude Haven!" Mrs. Grayson sobbed, "Give it up, we can't let Little Dick live in such a fear-inducing environnt..."
Mr. Grayson pursed his lips, his face was haggard. Mrs. Grayson continued sobbing, "I know, I know you've always wanted to restore the family business, but we really can't continue like this. You need to consider, if we die, what will happen to poor Little Dick? In Gotham, orphans without parents are likely to be sent to that dreadful boarding school, and then..."
Mrs. Grayson started crying again. Bruce discerned so information in her words, but it was not the right ti to probe further. Little Grayson went up to comfort his mother, and the family of three embraced each other.
When Bruce finally went backstage, Selina had just finished tying the last knot. The person she tied up was the boss of the circus, and Aisha was still biting his arm without releasing her grip.
When Bruce went to pick up Aisha, he thought he would have to wrestle with her again, but surprisingly, Aisha let go of her grip very easily.
Finding the saw beside him, Bruce imdiately knew what happened. He made a phone call to Gordon, and then left the circus with Aisha and Selina.
Just as they were about to get into the car to go ho, a figure appeared in front of his car. Bruce let go of the steering wheel, turned his head, and looked at the figure, asking, "... Dick? What's wrong? What are you going to do?"
Dick walked around the front of the car, standing next to the driver's door where Bruce was seated, and said, "My parents are planning to go back to Brude Haven."
"Then congratulations are in order. It's much better there than Gotham. You should be able to live a peaceful life."
"But I don't want to go back..."
"Why?"
Dick pursed his lips. Although he was young, he had a determined look on his face, "My grandfather's death was not an accident."
"How do you know?"
"I investigated." Dick said very firmly: "The horizontal bar of his final curtain-call action was tampered with. I examined the rope. The indentations on it indicate that it was an incorrect knot. The knot used to fix the horizontal bar should not have been like that..."
Bruce narrowed his eyes and asked him: "So, what then?"
"You're not an ordinary person, are you?" Dick grabbed the door of Bruce's car with one hand and said to him, "I've been learning acrobatic skills from my father for a long ti. I clearly understand how difficult your movents are. Those muscle exertion techniques couldn't have been just improvised, you must have been practicing for a long ti... "
Dick continued to purse his lips, and he said to Bruce, "My parents have given up, but I won't give up. I want to stay here to restore the reputation of the Grayson family and to avenge my grandfather."
"More importantly, if my grandfather's cause of death is not thoroughly investigated and the culprit who hurt him is not found, my parents won't be safe either."
"But..." Dick showed a helpless expression, "I know what kind of place Gotham is. The skills I learned from my father are not enough for to survive here. I can't convince my parents to leave here, so..."
Dick took a deep breath. His face showed a lancholy that didn't match his age. He looked at Bruce and said, "If you would allow to learn from you, I think, one day, I'll be able to fulfil my wish. Moreover, you saved my parents. I think they won't object if I follow you..."
Before Bruce could answer, Dick said, "... Alright, I know it sounds ridiculous—why would I expect a tycoon to..."
Dick let go of his hand. He sighed, waving his arm to indicate to Bruce to drive off.
Yes, he knew, he was just being impulsive at that mont. Staying in Gotham without his parents, and expecting to learn from the richest man in the world? It was just a fantasy.
Bruce looked at Dick and felt a very peculiar sensation. People sotis see themselves in others. Although Dick looked nothing like him, this boy was only seven or eight years old and it was hard to talk about his character, Bruce found him extraordinary due to the way he spoke.
Perhaps two people in the world could naturally get along well with each other. Either way, Dick looked pleasing to Bruce's eye, and vice versa.
Regardless of how agreeable Dick was, Bruce did not plan to adopt a son—their daughter Aisha was already driving him and Selina nearly insane.
Wait, the daughter...
Bruce looked back at Aisha, who was utterly fixed in the child's safety seat but was still restless. He also looked at Dick, who seed much more mature than his peers. The mont Dick turned around to leave, Bruce stopped him.
Half an hour later, inside Wayne Manor, Bruce hoisted Aisha into his arms, showing her to Dick like a pet dog and told him, "This is your sister."
"Wait, are you planning to adopt ? I..."
Before he could finish, Aisha opened her mouth wide. Her mouth full of sharp teeth frightened Dick. He asked in shock, "What's going on? Her teeth...how..."
"Congenital dental deformity, she's too young to have it corrected yet." Bruce quickly replied.
"Um, okay...wait, her eyes seem..." Dick pointed at Aisha's eyes.
"Heterochromia iridium, just like her mother." Bruce naturally replied.
"Really...? But...why doesn't she speak?"
"Childhood Autism, we have already made an appointnt with a psychiatrist." Bruce answered smoothly.
"But..."
At this ti, Alfred ca down from upstairs. His face full of hope, he asked Bruce, "Sir, is this the young master? Have the legal issues been taken care of? I think we can..."
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