Thomas was engrossed in conversation with Zatara when he caught sight of his two daughters descending the stairs from the corner of his eye. His eyes lit up instantly, and the smile on his face grew even brighter. He quickly waved to his daughters and said enthusiastically, "Dears, come here quickly."
Once Gwen and Brucey approached, Thomas turned to Zatara and introduced them with a proud smile, "Mr. Zatara, this is my elder daughter, Gwendolyn Wayne, and my younger daughter, Brucey Wayne."
As he spoke, he gently put an arm around each of his daughters' shoulders, his eyes full of paternal love.
This pride was absolutely genuine.
Although his elder daughter was not his biological child and had some quirks, she had been raised by him her entire life, making her his daughter.
Regardless of whether she was an alien or an Earthling, her concern and care for him were undeniable.
Moreover, at such a young age, she had developed this bulletproof equipment, and he believed his elder daughter would go far in the field of technology.
After introducing his daughters, Thomas then turned to introduce the gentleman beside him: "Gwen, Brucey, this is Mr. Giovanni Zatara. He is a very remarkable magician."
Zatara gave a slight bow, a gentle smile on his face, and nodded to the two girls.
Brucey first looked at him curiously, then reacted, mimicking her sister by also giving a slight bow.
After exchanging greetings, Gwen's gaze naturally went past the adults and landed on the little girl hiding behind Zatara.
The girl was small in stature, timidly peeking out half her head. Her sapphire-blue eyes blinked curiously the moment they met Gwen's gaze.
Her hair was dark and shiny, falling smoothly over her shoulders, with a few playful strands framing her cheeks, adding a touch of liveliness to her.
Zatanna Zatara, one of the most powerful magic users in the DC Universe.
No, this child is too cute.
I need to find a way to send Kang to heaven early.
Zatara noticed Gwen's gaze on his daughter, a gentle smile appearing on his face. He gently pulled Zatanna from behind him to his front, his actions soft and full of doting affection.
He looked at Gwen, his voice carrying the mysterious charm unique to a magician, and introduced, "This is my daughter, Zatanna Zatara."
Despite the impolite thought of sending her future boyfriend to heaven, Gwen still displayed a friendly smile on her face: "Hello, I'm Gwen."
Zatanna slightly raised her head, secretly glancing at Gwen with her big, watery eyes, and responded softly, "Hello..."
Zatanna's speaking voice was a bit hard to hear. Gwen observed closely and realized that she was actually wearing braces.
Thinking of this, Gwen subtly glanced at Thomas Wayne.
Thomas Wayne instantly understood, realizing what his overly clever daughter might be trying to do.
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly in a gentle smile, and he took the initiative to say, "Mr. Zatara, I think it would be best if the three children went to play first, and we can continue our conversation properly."
As he spoke, he cast a loving gaze over Gwen, Brucey, and Zatanna.
Zatara lowered his head slightly and softly asked Zatanna beside him, "Darling, would you like to go play with the big sisters?"
Zatanna hesitated, clutching her skirt with her small hand, but finally nodded.
Seeing his daughter's response, Zatara then looked up, a polite smile on his face, and turned to Gwen and Brucey: "Then I'll leave Zatanna in the care of you two young ladies."
"Please rest assured," Gwen said with a gentle smile. She walked over to Zatanna, gently took her hand, "Come on, Zatanna, I'll take you to see my laboratory."
Brucey also bounced over, excitedly saying, "Let's go, let's go! Sister's laboratory is really interesting!"
"Laboratory?" Zatanna tilted her head slightly. Although a bit puzzled, she still followed Gwen and Brucey upstairs, leaving Thomas and Zatara to continue their conversation in the reception room.
The three girls chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at the door of a room.
Gwen pushed open the tightly closed laboratory door, then stepped aside, motioning for Zatanna and Brucey to follow.
Once they entered, the two immediately noticed that the decoration style of this laboratory was completely different from the outside.
Stepping into the laboratory, the first thing that caught their eye was a wall densely packed with computer monitors. On the screens, data scrolled wildly at a dizzying speed, and various codes appeared alternately, leaving Zatanna, who was seeing such a scene for the first time, utterly stunned.
The experimental bench was crafted from a single slab of cold metal, its surface as smooth as a mirror.
The bench was covered with precision instruments of all sizes and shapes. Neither Brucey nor Zatanna understood their purpose.
On the laboratory table, there were some unfinished accessories.
These accessories were actually similar to the bracelet given to Brucey, except Gwen planned to shrink them to the size of pearls or make them into small decorative items like hairpins.
Although she didn't understand what these things were for, Brucey's eyes were still sparkling with excitement. She pointed her small finger at the computer screens, her face full of pride: "How about it? Isn't my sister's laboratory cool!"
Then she leaned closer to Zatanna and whispered in a volume only they could hear, "I want a whole wall of computer screens like this too, someday!"
Gwen couldn't help but smile at these words.
Indeed, her sister wouldn't just have a wall of computer screens in the future; she would create an entire cave of them, and even affectionately call it the "Bat-Computer."
Following that naming convention, what should she call herself? Bat-Sister?
Thinking of this, Gwen took a moment to look in Zatanna's direction, noticing the envious expression on her face, and nodded to herself.
She certainly wasn't showing off her laboratory to two little girls; she wasn't really a 4-year-old child.
After all, Zatanna would become one of the most powerful magic users in the entire DC Universe. Although Gwen now had her little broken watch, she knew that Backwards Magic had its unique strengths, and she wanted to learn magic from Zatanna.
Gwen's gaze inadvertently swept over Zatanna, keenly catching the undisguised expressions of awe and envy on her face, and she nodded to herself.
This was precisely the intention behind her showing off her laboratory.
She aimed to establish a position of advantage among her companions by showcasing the uniqueness and appeal of her resources, sending a clear signal to Zatanna that "I possess something extremely valuable."
Based on cognitive development theory in child psychology, Gwen was well aware that at their age, children's self-awareness gradually awakens, making them highly sensitive to external evaluations and recognition, and possessing a strong desire for self-expression.
When stimulated externally, especially upon witnessing others possess enviable things, they will, based on an instinctive competitive psychology and the need for self-worth affirmation, subconsciously want to display their own equally or even more appealing things to maintain psychological balance and self-identity.
Although Gwen was clearly aware that this manipulative behavior amounted to an adult bullying a child, Zatanna was, after all, her only potential access to the magic side at the moment.