Chapter 116: Strange Alliances Part 1

The following morning, as Arias arrived at Markovic Tower, he was surprised to find Mercy already present at the secretary desk outside his office. What was even stranger was that she looked like she was in a good mood.

This changed, though, when he got closer and she could see him. She returned to her usual frowning self and didn't even greet him.

'Women.' Arias decided it was too early to entertain her bratty attitude, so he just walked past her with Slade not far behind. Seeing him just pass her by, she frowned even more but said nothing.

Once inside the office, Slade waited for Arias to take a seat and then asked, "Do you have chemistry with that woman? She looks at you the same way my ex-wife looks at me. Well, maybe less murderous, but you get the point."

Slade was very observant, so the question didn't surprise Arias, but he just shook it off. "No, some women just don't like me. Perhaps deep down they know they'll never find a man like me."

As if the statement alone weren't arrogant enough, Slade nodded and added, "I feel you. It's tough being irresistible, but don't let your wife stop you from finding the love of your life."

Not sure what to say to that, Arias decided to change the topic as he sat down and turned on his computer.

"Anyway, about the person watching me. Still no irregular movements?"

Slade shook his head. "No, she's definitely from the League of Assassins, but I don't think she's here to try and kill you. I think they're trying to build a profile on you before they attempt anything else. Worried?"

Arias smiled at that prospect and shook his head. "No, just curious. But my business in the coming days isn't something I want to be observed."

Following his words, a casual smile appeared on Slade's face. "Give the order, and you'll have her head before lunch."

A good idea to dispose of any prying eyes, but Arias wasn't about to cause more problems. If the observer died, another one would come.

He was still under the impression that the League wouldn't give up on trying to take his life, so to him, it was more irritating and bothersome than anything else.

"Try to capture her alive. If she kills herself or proves too difficult, then just kill and dump her body."

Slade gave a nod and looked ready to leave. "Difficult isn't in my vocabulary, boss. I'll get it done."

With that said, Slade left the room, and Arias was left to his own devices. But before he could turn on his desktop and focus his attention elsewhere, his door swung open and Diana walked in, completely unbothered.

"Friend Arias! I have come to pay you a work visit; I hear this is customary among your people," she voiced with great enthusiasm as she scanned the decor of his office.

Arias hadn't seen much of Diana since the Asylum situation, as she had been trying to cheer Harley up. Aside from that, Diana made it a habit to fly around the city and experience Gotham for herself. This made her increasingly popular, as she was a strange mix of friendly and scary toward the people.

He leaned back in his chair and smiled in her direction, welcoming her rather sudden visit. "Well, I'm glad to see you're learning more about people outside Themiscyra."

Diana walked over and sat on his desk before folding her arms and nodding. "I have definitely learned more in my short time here than I did in the city of your leader. The people in this city are truly friendly, although some are quite odd, especially the men. But those are the same everywhere."

Arias could vaguely understand that she was likely hinting at the fact that many men ogled her, but given her choice of uniform, it'd be more surprising if they didn't.

"And here I thought I was an exception. Anyway, there's not much to do here, as it isn't your traditional workplace. It's honestly more of a formality than anything else. But—"

Before Arias could try convincing her that it was boring and that she should leave, his door once again opened.

A frowning Mercy walked in with a tray of tea and assorted snacks and placed them near Diana. Even Arias didn't expect this cheeky woman to be that petty.

Thankfully, Diana wasn't the brightest when it came to reading others, so she didn't see anything wrong and just began to snack on what was brought to her.

"Then what is your task for the day?" she asked while perhaps making herself a little too comfortable on Arias's desk.

It would be a miracle if she didn't leave an ass print. But the welfare of his furniture aside, Arias turned on his computer and tilted it slightly so that Diana could see.

"I'm going through the list of prospective students and seeing which ones stand out. Whether in terms of power, skill, or just personality."

Diana nodded, but her understanding was different. "I see, you're filtering out those with potential from those without."

A little harshly worded, but that was to be expected from Diana; it's why Arias urged her not to do interviews without his presence.

He never put himself above her outrightly; it would be foolish to try so against someone who strongly disliked being controlled and held down like her.

It was why he gave her so much freedom and didn't even bother asking her about her day-to-day activities.

Once she had her fun, he knew she'd miss his company and come of her own accord.

He nodded at her words, as they weren't wrong but also not exactly right. "Something like that, but it's far too soon to pick. I'm simply shortlisting those to keep an eye on in the coming months."

…

The day flew by, and by some unwanted miracle, Diana stuck around for much of it, paying close attention to what Arias got up to and asking him numerous questions.

When it was finally over, she left ahead of Arias to go patrol the city while he remained a little longer, going through some minor things.

When he did decide to leave, he found Mercy had long since gone as well, and only Slade was present outside his door.

"Did you get it done?" Arias didn't stop walking and just asked while Slade followed behind.

He nodded at the question as if it weren't a difficult task in the least. "Naturally. In fact, she didn't even put up much of a fight. Which is a shame because I really wanted to toss her after she called a handsome lad like myself old."

Hearing this, Arias already had a rough profile. "So she's young? You seem to have bad luck when it comes to young women."

Slade just shrugged his shoulders, as he couldn't outright deny the fact. "They have no taste. Can you really trust the judgment of girls who don't like K-pop? Blasphemy."