Barbara lowered her gaze to the coffee between her hands, then glanced back up at Pamela with a measured breath. "Well… my father is the commissioner of Gotham's Police Department. Commissioner James Gordon."
Pamela blinked, nearly spilling her cup as her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh—your father is Commissioner Gordon?!"
Barbara gave a short, almost resigned nod. "It's not as clever as it sounds. My dad always has cops around me to keep me safe from Gotham's freak show. I've been abducted before—Joker, Two-Face, even Penguin have kidnapped me."
Pamela's lips parted, her expression caught between disbelief and concern. Barbara went on, her voice steady though her fingers tapped against the side of the cup. "Batman's had to rescue me a few times."
"You've seriously met Batman?" Pamela asked, her voice carrying awe.
"Yeah," Barbara said, leaning back against the booth cushion. "But I don't have a great first impression of him. The guy gives off total stalker vibes. Nice guy, just… super broody."
Pamela laughed, her hand rising to cover her mouth as the sound slipped out. "I can't believe you met Batman and your takeaway is that he's overly serious. The dude oozes masculine seriousness."
The two of them laughed together, their shoulders relaxing as the tension dissolved into shared amusement.
Pamela shook her head, still smiling faintly. "I wish I could meet Batman someday. I bet he's a really nice guy once you get to know him."
Barbara raised a brow, her tone quick and emphatic. "You wish. Actually—scratch that. Trust me, you do not want to wish for that. He's intense. Very brooding."
Pamela studied her, eyes shining with curiosity. "Your life must be something else."
Barbara sighed, stirring the coffee absently with a wooden stick. "Joker's kidnapped me a few times, and Two-Face… ugh. But Penguin? He's weirdly respectful. Sophisticated, even. As long as you don't piss him off, he won't hurt you. I actually think he'd make a decent mayor someday. He follows through with what he says he'll do."
Pamela leaned back, shaking her head in disbelief. "Are you serious? There are supervillains with morals?"
Barbara met her gaze evenly. "Yep. And Penguin's one of them."
"Oh my God… I'm shocked a villain could even want to be a politician. That's insane." Pamela's voice held a mix of awe and confusion, her fingers tightening around the warm mug.
Barbara gave a small shrug, her expression unreadable. "That's Gotham for you."
Pamela laughed softly, a disbelieving sound that lingered in the air. "Your life must be full of adventures."
Barbara's expression shifted, a shadow of weariness crossing her features. "Yeah… but it's not all it's cracked up to be. The Joker's completely nuts. But hey, I got to meet Harley Quinn. She's beautiful. I hope you get to meet her someday, too."
Pamela stilled, her green eyes widening slightly at the name. She leaned forward, her voice hushed but firm. "I've heard of Harley. She is beautiful. Too bad she fell for a loser like the Joker."
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